View full sizeKip Kesgard, community blogger. Mamadou "Futty" Danso had a great game against Baltimore on August 29, and was a thorn in the side of the visiting team. They tried every trick in the book to stop him, even resorting to a bit of held jersey to keep him away from goal

From the opening whistle, the Timbers were the more determined team and the results spoke for themselves. Forward Bright Dike scored his fifth and sixth goals of the season, while midfielder Ryan Pore tallied his 14th goal in leading the Timbers to a dominating 3 to 0 victory over Baltimore in front of 15, 418 fans. On a slightly chilly Sunday evening, Portland controlled the tempo, possession and attitude all night, and Baltimore was simply outclassed in every facet of the match.

The Timbers altered their starting formation in an attempt to control the game’s rhythm, and the results were outstanding. “I felt by putting three in the middle of the park, we could exploit them. And we did! So we tactically adjusted a few things by bringing Johan and Keith in,” said coach and GM Gavin Wilkinson in his post game comments. Wilkinson pushed midfielder Ryan Pore and forward Doug DeMartin up top to support forward Bright Dike, while having Claesson and Savage work with holding midfielder Tony McManus in the middle. The result was a more fluid attack with plenty of offensive chances created from mismatches, as Baltimore simply had no answer for Dike all night.

View full sizeKip Kesgard, community blogger. Bright Dike continued his hot scoring streak, here preparing to shoot in the second half of the Timbers - Baltimore match. This shot ended up going into the net, giving him his sixth goal of the 2010 season

Pore opened up the scoring in the 15th minute as he took advantage of a misplay from Baltimore defender Corey Veeder and slotted a ball past goalkeeper Evan Bush to put the home team up 1 to 0. Dike struck his first goal in the 42nd minute, as he single handedly took on four Baltimore defenders and outworked them all. While Bush got a hand on Dike’s shot, he couldn’t keep it from the net, and the Timbers went into the half up 2 to 0. Dike got his brace in the 53rd, as he took advantage of a fortunate bounce. A ball glanced off Pore near the penalty box, and Dike was able to shoot past an outstretched Bush to put Portland up 3 to 0.

However, the Timbers probably should have scored more goals. Defender Steve Purdy missed an easy chance in the second half, while DeMartin had at least four quality shots that just didn’t find the net. The offensive cohesiveness that has been missing for many matches was on display this evening, and it was a long time coming for Timbers fans. “We had a point to prove tonight against Baltimore,” said defender Scot Thompson. Bright Dike added, “Our passes tonight were the best we’ve seen all year, and that’s why you saw one of our best results.”

View full sizeKip Kesgard, community blogger. Ryan Pore scored his 14th goal of the 2010 regular season in the first half, as Baltimore defender Corey Veeder is unable to stop the crafty Timbers midfielder

In my opinion, it was hard to target a man of the match because simply put, the Timbers played their best team soccer all season. Every member of the team that played contributed something to the overall effort. Even late substitute Khalif Al-Hassan showed his potential when entering in the 73rd minute, as his overall speed and pace led to some dazzling late chances to add to the score. The team could be excited about this result, because they simply went out and took care of business against an opponent that couldn’t counter their hard work.

View full sizeKip Kesgard, community blogger. The Timbers celebrate a huge win in front of the Timbers Army after defeating Baltimore 3 to 0 on August 29.

Now the team can turn their attention to September 2, as Puerto Rico visits PGE Park. The game has special significance in the playoff hunt, as Puerto Rico is one of the clubs chasing the Timbers in the post season chase. It’s also the end of an era, as the Timbers will play their last regular season game at home as a member of the USSF Division 2, as Portland will play any playoff matches at Merlo Field or Hillsboro Stadium because of stadium renovation plans. There is a small amount of tickets available, so come join the team as they close out the USL/USSF period and move forward to MLS. You can read more about the match, courtesy of the Portland Timbers, Dropping Timber, the Offside Blog, the Timber Mill and the Oregonian.